Our Story

In 2006, Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore got the world talking about climate change with his Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth.  

 It was just the beginning of a climate revolution. Later that year, he founded what would become, The Climate Reality Project to move the conversation forward and turn awareness into action all across the Earth. This resulted in 45,229 Climate Reality Leaders mobilising communities in over 190 countries. It has branches in 12 critical nations and regions.  

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We are Climate Reality Australia & Pacific

Launched in 2006, The Climate Reality Project - Australia and Pacific works to turn the growing awareness of the danger of climate change into support for action.  
 
People across Australia and the Blue Pacific know all too well what it means to live with the impacts of climate change, with devastating bushfires, heatwaves, cyclones, rising sea levels and warming oceans impacting on communities and ecosystems. 
 
The branch focuses on connecting climate to the lives of people across the region, offering trained leaders wide-ranging workshops and leadership opportunities. Thanks to these efforts, more than one in 40 Australians have seen a Climate Reality presentation, helping drive greater public awareness of solutions. As of 2023 we are a network of 2448 trained leaders working both independently and together to realise a healthy and safe climate, and a thriving net-zero economy. 
 
The Climate Reality Project - Australia and Pacific is committed to fostering an environment in which the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their fellow Australians is characterised by deep mutual respect, leading to positive change in our nation’s culture and capacity. 

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Branch Manager

Ciaran McCormack

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Host Organisation

The University of Melbourne

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Number of Climate Reality Leaders

2448

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Number of Climate Reality Leaders in Australia & Pacific by year:

Our Team

Ciaran McCormack

Manager, Australia and Pacific

Ciaran McCormack leads Climate Reality across nineteen countries in the Australia and Pacific region. He is a climate education specialist with extensive global experience and has worked with a range of organisations across the corporate, tertiary education, international education, NGO and government sectors.

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Previously, Ciaran managed corporate communications for Uniting Ethical Investors — Australia's oldest ethical fund manager, and a certified B Corp. Earlier in his career he managed sustainability projects for the Victorian Government and several local councils. He was Corporate Responsibility Adviser for Sensis, a Telstra subsidiary, and has managed global biodiversity research programs for Earthwatch Institute.

Ciaran is a Fellow of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership and holds a Master of Environment and Sustainability from Monash University, and a Bachelor of Business Studies from Dublin City University. He also completed a Certificate in ESG Investing with CFA Institute.

He has lived in six countries across four continents and speaks five languages. For his work on creating a healthy, climate-safe future Ciaran draws daily inspiration from his five-year old son.

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Professor Don Henry

Melbourne Enterprise Professor of Environmentalism

Professor Don Henry AM is based in The University of Melbourne as the ‘Melbourne Enterprise Professor of Environmentalism’. Don directs the TCRP Australia Pacific program and is an international Board Member of The Climate Reality Project. Don's role is to stimulate and enhance public debate and policy by working with researchers, government, civil society, global institutions, and business. He provides leadership in the fields of environmental policy development and reform, climate change, and sustainability.

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In 2018 Don was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for his work in protecting Australia's native wildlife and environment.

His current engagement program is to support implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, negotiated by the global community in December 2015. This work aims to encourage greater ambition in its implementation and to build support for strengthened national commitments. Don and his team are highlighting the role of key strategic countries in the implementation of the Agreement, such as India, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Australia, South Africa and Brazil.

Don is also leading work examining and encouraging Indigenous and conservation outcomes in Northern Australia and collaborative processes for forest protection and sustainable use in Victoria and Tasmania.

Previously Don has been CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation and WWF Australia, a Director of WWF US and the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland.

Imogen Butler

Project Officer, Australia and Pacific

Imogen Butler is a specialist in environmental communication and research, with over eight years’ experience working in a wide range of organisations in Australia, Sweden, and the UK. Imogen has worked extensively in the not-for-profit sector on environmental campaigns with a common focus on repowering and diversifying energy systems to advance renewables.

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Prior to joining The Australia & Pacific branch of Climate Reality Project as Project Officer, Imogen was researching zero-carbon manufacturing pathways for Australian industries with Beyond Zero Emissions. As a researcher Imogen's mission is to translate climate science into sustainable thought and action.

Imogen has delivered communications for a series of high-profile climate action campaigns, including The ‘Million Jobs Plan’, a plan that shows how Australia can create millions of jobs through green stimulus. Also, ‘Zero Carbon Communities’, a program that empowers thousands of Australian communities to lower their emissions and thrive.

As an active ally in the climate justice movement, Imogen believes in empowering a fully voiced response to climate change. Her mission is to elevate the voices of communities and persons at the frontline of climate change, particularly those who have previously been excluded from climate change discourses.

Imogen is qualified with a MSc from the University of Oxford (UK) and a Bachelor of Environment and Society at RMIT University (AU).

Our Host

Melbourne Climate Futures

Melbourne Climate Futures (MCF) connects and amplifies the depth and breadth of University of Melbourne research, creates a portal to share ideas and collaborate on real action, and empowers the next generation of climate activists.

"We are committed to leading our national, regional and global communities to a sustainable, safe, fair and equitable climate future"